Marjorie Davies Star Tap Awards 2014

23 September 2014

Reports from this year’s outstanding Awards, from an Italian perspective

I usually like to write something regarding the Tap Faculty events, but this time I think I’ll leave the pen to my two students and one mum who were with me at Cecil Sharp House in London for the Marjorie Davies Star Tap Awards. A long time ago I had the chance to live this experience a couple of times, once by myself (as an attendee) and once with two young students, one of which was my sister.

Being back, after many years, in the same studio and with my own students was something you can only understand if you have experienced it yourself. I’m sure you will get an idea of what the Tap Awards are all about by reading the words below of an Italian mum who helped me realise this little dream of letting my young tappers experience something special and bring the memories and feelings of the Awards back to our country.

London has always held a special fascination for Italians. It is the city of a thousand possibilities, which can open many doors, especially if you are an artist. This time the appeal was amplified from having seen a real show, the Marjorie Davies Star Tap Awards.

When we arrived I was expecting a real theatre with a stage, stalls, lights, sounds, confusion and hysterical, anxious mothers roaming the corridors with their proud daughters. I already knew that there would be lots of people there. Instead, it was a building with an entrance that I thought looked similar to that of our own school, where the organisers of the event welcomed us and kindly showed us where the girls could get changed.

The other participants, all British, arrived in the locker room in an orderly, quiet fashion. Many girls dressed themselves and remained highly focused while waiting to start the competition, preparing like true professionals. Once our girls were ready, I settled down with the teacher in the studio. All this took place in a room, entirely made of wood, looking a bit austere and a bit too serious for a dance competition. I was a bit nervous, it was the first time my daughter would follow a tap dance lesson entirely in English and it was her first solo in front of such a prestigious audience. But when the lesson began I was transfixed from the very first words of the teacher. The musicality of her voice, the clarity with which she explained the steps and her warm and pleasant smile put even the most nervous at ease (such as my daughter). I was hanging off every word the teacher said to the point where I wasn’t just watching my daughter anymore. It was like I was going to stand up and perform the steps myself.

It was all so pleasant and engaging that I forgot I was following a dance lesson in a foreign language. The young tappers were dancing the short sequences and amalgamations in lines or one at a time as the teacher explained them. It seemed that everyone was able to follow properly and all three judges could see them clearly. When they started to perform their own dances, I could not believe my own eyes. I was expecting a high level and considerable preparation, but not like this. The kids were phenomenal, they entered one at a time, very focused, neatly and quietly. The judges glanced down only to take some notes; their eyes were always kept on the kids. And in the studio the audience was showing respect for and interest in all the young performers with their complete silence.

When the music started I felt I was watching many short musicals. The choreography was spectacular and all the kids, from number 1 to number 140, performed their dances with confidence and firm belief, looking the judges straight in the eye. They changed the atmosphere of the whole room with each different style of music from swing to blues to pop. Everything was executed with a unique artistry. The sound of the metal taps was in full harmony with the songs chosen; it sounded like an extra musical instrument added to the other ones with a pleasant, melodious sound that emphasized the rhythm of the song.

They worked through the dances in quick succession and when they announced my daughter’s number I felt very emotional. I held my breath for the duration of the performance because it was really brave of her to dance at such a prestigious event. I was really proud of her at that moment.

It didn’t feel like I was watching as many performances as I did because everything ran smoothly and was a pleasure to watch. The kids told their stories well through the way they danced to each song. I was glued to the chair and I did not want to get up even for a coffee (and you know how much Italians love to have coffee) because I didn’t want to miss even a sound or a beat of the shoes on the floor. Everything was completed precisely on time and I have to say that I was a bit disappointed when it was all over.

On my way back to the hotel, I thought several times that I would not have wanted to be in the judges’ shoes, having to decide who deserved to win the awards. To me everyone was good and deserved a commendation. Who knows, maybe next year we will be back and I’ll sit in the front row to enjoy the show again. I am very grateful to my daughter’s teacher, Antonio Barone. He gave us the chance to enjoy this incredible experience. I finally understand the hard work he is doing, in a country where tap dance is not so popular and does not have the same respect as ballet or modern, but also because I have now seen real talent with my own eyes.

My participation at the Star Tap Awards has been a really great experience, a unique opportunity to confront myself with other tap dancers from a different country and take part in a tap class entirely delivered in English. I’ve discovered new sides of tap dance that I didn’t know, and others that I’m studying, such as: how to achieve greater expression in dance with the whole body and not just the feet; working to attain a very high technical level; the use of different tools from the usual top hats and umbrellas, and the choice of various musical genres, from slower to faster ones. I am convinced that this will help my personal growth and I hope to put into practice what I learned on Sunday 4th May in my upcoming performances – an incredible day that I can hardly forget.

This experience has been beyond my expectations. I just thought it would be a performance, but I am back at home with the desire to learn even more, especially the new steps. Although it was my first time in London and my communication in English wasn’t great, it was fun and exciting, especially because I compared myself with other dancers speaking one unique language – the sounds of tap dance.